1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed to a portable phone and more particularly to a portable phone allowing for relative movement of components.
2. Background of the Invention
The use of portable phones has increased greatly over the last several years. In fact, portable phones are now used for a number of purposes beyond simply having a telephone conversation. For example, portable phones are now used to send text messages, to send e-mails, to browse the web, and to play games. At the same time, handheld gaming products and software have become increasingly popular. As a result, portable phones have been adapted to support gaming and gaming software. Many phones are equipped with Java Virtual machines that allow them to download and play games. A typical portable phone has a keypad, a display screen, and a navigational key positioned between the keypad and the display screen. The typical arrangement of the keypad, navigational key, and display screen is not ideal for many gaming applications. The close proximity of the traditional keypad and navigational key can be tedious and cumbersome to use for playing the various games now available on portable phones. This layout makes two-hand operation cumbersome and obstructs a user's view of the screen.
In addition, in some gaming applications, it useful to have a display screen positioned between the navigational key and the keypad, while in others it may be useful to have a display screen positioned generally above and centered between the navigational key and the keypad. The GameBoy device available from Nintendo is an example of a handheld gaming device having various configurations with the display centrally positioned between activation keys to facilitate two-hand operation. The typical arrangement of a standard portable phone does not provide the same ergonomics as a GameBoy or other handheld gaming device where the display is not centered between the activation keys. As a result, an attachable game controller has been developed for attachment to a portable phone to allow users to play games with their standard portable phone. One such device is known as the PCS Game Pad for use with the Samsung A600 portable phone providing control keys on both sides of the portable phone. While a useful device, the use of the Game Pad requires a user to carry both the standard portable phone and the Game Pad to achieve enhanced gaming abilities. It takes up a lot of space and is cumbersome to carry both the portable phone and an attachable game controller. Oftentimes it is impractical to carry both a phone and a separate game controller, and even when practical, the game controller may frequently be inadvertently left behind.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a portable phone that allows for relative movement of one or more of the display screen, navigational key, and keypad to allow for improved ergonomics for gaming and other applications, without the need for an attachable game controller.